For the quarter ended December 2024, Centene (CNC) reported revenue of $40.81 billion, up 3.4% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.80, compared to $0.45 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $38.96 billion, representing a surprise of +4.75%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +63.27%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.49.
While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.
As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.
Here is how Centene performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
- Total Medical Health (Benefits) loss Ratios -Total Ratio (HBR): 89.6% compared to the 90% average estimate based on five analysts.
- Membership Medicaid - Traditional Medicaid: 11.41 million versus 11.38 million estimated by three analysts on average.
- Membership by line of business - Medicaid: 13 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of 12.98 million.
- Membership Medicaid - High Acuity Medicaid: 1.6 million versus 1.6 million estimated by three analysts on average.
- Revenues- Premium and service revenues: $36.30 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $35.50 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +2.7%.
- Revenues- Premium: $35.52 billion versus $34.71 billion estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +3.8% change.
- Revenues- Service: $777 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $782.17 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -29.8%.
- Revenues- Premium tax: $4.51 billion versus the five-analyst average estimate of $3.07 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +9.4%.
- Revenues- Premium and service revenues- Commercial: $8.72 billion versus $8.47 billion estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +17.8% change.
- Revenues- Premium and service revenues- Medicare: $5.48 billion compared to the $5.70 billion average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +3.5% year over year.
- Revenues- Premium and service revenues- Medicaid: $20.83 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $20.16 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -1.4%.
- Revenues- Premium and service revenues- Other: $1.27 billion versus $1.19 billion estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -16.8% change.
Shares of Centene have returned +3.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
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